Justin Houtz

1 Chronicles 17, James 4, Jonah 1, Luke 6

DateVersionReading Plan
November 22, 2024ESV (2016)M’Cheyne Plan 2024

1 Chronicles 17

1 Chronicles 17:1–4 (ESV) 17 Now when David lived in his house, David said to Nathan the prophet, “Behold, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of the covenant of the LORD is under a tent.” 2 And Nathan said to David, “Do all that is in your heart, for God is with you.” 3 But that same night the word of the LORD came to Nathan, 4 “Go and tell my servant David, ‘Thus says the LORD: It is not you who will build me a house to dwell in.

“David told Nathan the prophet that he was unhappy to be living in a luxurious home while the ark of the covenant was in a tent. His desire to build a house for the LORD met with Nathan’s hasty approval. But then the Lord corrected Nathan: David was not the man chosen for this task.” (BBC)

It is interesting that Nathan the prophet gave approval to David building the temple so quickly without first consulting the Lord. By saying, “for God is with you.”, it seems that Nathan assumed this initiative to be blessed by God, perhaps thinking that there would be no objection to upgrading God’s dwelling from tent to house. While we do not necessarily go to God for guidance in all things—proceeding instead in a functional obedience to Biblical truths—we see in this instance that there are certain situations and scenarios that warrant prayerful consideration.

James 4

James 4:13–15 (ESV) 13 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— 14 yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. 15 Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.”

“James denounces…self-confident, boastful planning in independence of God (vv. 13–16). He pictures a businessman who has a complete plan laid out for the future. Notice the details. He thought about the time (today or tomorrow); the personnel (we); the place (such and such a city); the duration (spend a year there); the activity (buy and sell); and the anticipated result (make a profit). What is missing in this picture? He never once takes God into his business. In life, it is necessary to make some plans for the future, but to do so in self-will is sinful. To say “we will” or “I will” is the essence of sin.” (BBC)

The means by which we make plans is crucial. It is not as if we make no plans at all, but that they should be made in full submission and subservience to God’s plan. If ever our plan collides with His (as is often the case), there should be no hesitation to discard our plan in favor of His. To ardently cling to what we want for ourselves is to claim our own dominion over His, to be our own god. At the very heart of our sinful nature is this treasonous disposition, the vicious denial of God’s ultimate authority in order to seek our way.

Jonah 1

“Because it tells of a fish swallowing a man, many have dismissed the book of Jonah as fiction. But 2 Kings 14:25 mentions Jonah as living during the time of Jeroboam II (about 793–753 B.C.), and Jesus referred to Jonah as a historical person (Matt. 12:39–41). Unlike other prophetic books, Jonah focuses on the prophet himself rather than on his message.”

Luke 6

Luke 6:37–38 (ESV) 37 “Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven;

“The problems here are hypocritical judgment, short-sighted condemnation, and an unforgiving spirit. These warnings do not mean that Jesus’s followers should not practice careful discernment (judgment).” (CSB Notes)

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